This book analyses social unrest, autonomy and separatism in the wake of the Indonesian economic crisis. Topics covered include Indonesian nationalism in historical perspective, identity and the nation-state.

The period from 1966 to 1999 represents a distinct era in Indonesian history. Throughout the New Order regime of President Suharto, the policies of economic development and political stability were dominant. However, the public opinion of personal expression was consistently under suspicion, and indeed dissent was severely punished.
"Secrets Need Words" traces the development of Indonesian poetry throughout this entire period. Texts are presented both in the original Indonesian and in careful, stylistically sensitive English translations.
In this anthology of contemporary work by...

"Supernova: The Knight, The Princess and the Falling Star" presents a series of intertwined and unconventional love stories, straight and gay, with a bit of science and spirituality added to the mix. The major characters are young, urban, and technologically highly aware. They are caught up in major forms of contemporary social conflict.

The work has been highly acclaimed. The poet Taufiq Ismail has written: "A renewal has taken place in Indonesian literature over the past decade. "Supernova" is an intelligent, unique and truly exciting exploration of science, spirituality and the nature...

"The Pilgrim" is one of the most unusual novels to have ever been published in Indonesia. It is a complex mixture, uniting a poetic lyricism with meditation on life, death and art. The novels chief characters are an artist and a cemetery overseer; the former representing emotion and the latter, reason, conflicting aspects of human nature. Despite the characters' antagonism and cruelty they are, in some ways, very similar: both represent forms of creativity, philosophy and art. Both exist outside conventional society. Both are searching for genuine human values and are aware of their...

"Drought" is a joyous celebration of life and human commitment. Its hero is an ex-student, ex-soldier and ex-bandit, who decides to transmigrate to one of the outer islands of Indonesia in order to start life again as a farmer. He almost fails, but so in so doing he is involved with a wonderful range of inspired madmen - bureaucrats, bandits, psychiatrists, religious teachers, and the beautiful woman known simply as the V.I.P. The outsiders humorously combine to question the normality of conventional society.

Iwan Simatupang's earlier novel, "The Pilgrim," has been hailed as the first...

"Morphology of Desire" gives a generous introduction to the full range of writing by the internationally acclaimed Indonesian poet, Dorothea Rosa Herliany, from the 1980s to the present day. Through a distinctive mix of striking imagery and boldness of voice, the poet sets out to destroy many of the common assumptions about everyday life and human relationships. As a woman and a poet, she is doubly an outsider. Her blatant departure, in form as well as content, from the accepted conventions of society (which intensifies through the progression of her work) is remarkable, not only in its...

Rendra, one of Indonesia's most important poets and dramatists, was raised within a mystical Javanese milieu. He saw the individual, nature, and society as potentially forming one harmonious whole. This commitment to personal authenticity and social justice was expressed in his poetry and plays. This collection, which collects many of his best poems, is his testimony to the sacredness of life in all its beauty.